March 26-27, 2026
The Blackwell Inn
Registration has closed for this event.
Research Day
Join researchers, clinicians, and trainees to share, discuss, and connect at CBIRD Research Day. This annual scientific symposium features invited and local speakers, poster presentations, and updates on programming and projects. We invite all Ohio State faculty, staff, and students to attend. Registration is free!
March 26-27, 2026
Thank you, Sponsors!
Blackwell Inn Ballroom
2110 Tuttle Park Pl STE #43, Columbus, OH 43210 (map)
Parking
The Blackwell offers valet services - day use is $20.
Self parking options include the Lane Avenue Garage that allows both visitor and garage permit access. There is also a surface lot across the street with paid and A, B, and C permit spots.
See more transportation information on the Blackwell's page here.
March 26th - Blackwell Inn, Main Ballroom
1:30pm - Check-In Opens
2:00-3:00pm - Trainee Talks
Location: Pfahl Hall, Room 140
3:15-6:00pm - Poster Presentations & Reception
- Session A: 3:15-4:15pm
- Session B: 4:45 - 5:45pm
6:00-8:00pm - CBI Trainee Society (CBITS) Social
Location: Varsity Club, Lower Level
March 27th - Blackwell Inn, Main Ballroom
8:30am - Registration & Breakfast
9:00am - Welcome Remarks
9:30am - Survivor Story with Amber Poindexter and family
10:00am - Jonathan Calvert, PhD | “Toward Precision Neurorehabilitation for Human Sensorimotor Recovery”
10:45am - Break & Vendors
11:15am - Jonathan Lifshitz, PhD | “Watching the Brain Heal: Time-Lapse Pathodynamics and the Promise of Psychedelic Medicine”
12:00pm - Networking Lunch & Vendors
1:00pm - Keynote: Mark Tuszynski, MD, PhD | “A Translational Program of Neural Stem Cells for Spinal Cord Injury”
2:00pm – Break & Vendors
2:15pm - Jill Daugherty, PhD | “The Unfinished Public Health Story of Brain Injury"
3:15pm - Awards and Closing
Keynote Speaker
Mark Tuszynski, MD, PhD
Distinguished Professor of Neurosciences
Director, Translational Science Institute
University of California, San Diego
Spotlight Speakers
Jonathan Calvert, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery
University of California, Davis
Jill Daugherty, PhD
Director, Innovation Center
National Association of State Head Injury Administrators
Jonathan Lifshitz, PhD
Associate Director of Education & Engagement
University of Michigan Concussion Center
Survivor Story
Amber Poindexter
A 45-year-old senior operations analyst for the university’s Board of Trustees, Amber suffered a stroke on Game Day, Sept. 10, 2022. She was later diagnosed with aphasia, a language disorder caused by brain damage resulting from a stroke, brain injury, or disease. Amber participates in brain injury programs at Ohio State including OSU Brain CARE, the Aphasia Initiative, and NeuroNights.
Guidelines
Abstract submissions are due February 1, 2026 at 11:59PM ET.
Abstracts: Abstracts must include a maximum 400-word narrative in 11-point Arial font with no figures or images, plus a header with 3 lines: a) your full abstract title (first letters capitalized); b) all authors with your (presenter's) name in bold; and c) list of department/unit affiliations. Please submit your abstract as a .docx file with filename as follows: LASTNAME.FIRSTNAME.MENTORLASTNAME.docx
Posters: Posters will be mounted on foam boards, sized 4ft x 4ft. We suggest poster sizes of 30 in. x 40 in. or 36 in. x 48 in. (landscape orientation).
Research Day Faculty Committee
- Jonathan Godbout, PhD | Professor, Neuroscience; Faculty Director, Center for Brain Injury Recovery & Discovery | Professional Website
- Andrew Sas, MD, PhD | Physician & Assistant Professor, Neurology | Professional Website
- Ceren Yarar-Fisher, PhD | Associate Professor & Vice Chair of Research, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation; Director of Clinical Research, Belford Center for Spinal Cord Injury | Professional Website
- Phillip Yuhas, OD, PhD | Optometrist & Assistant Professor, Optometry | Professional Website
Past Research Day Information
Speakers
Keynote
"A Translational Program of Neural Stem Cells for Spinal Cord Injury"
Mark Tuszynski, MD, PhD | Distinguished Professor of Neurosciences & Director, Translational Science Institute - University of California, San Diego
Spotlights
"Toward Precision Neurorehabilitation for Human Sensorimotor Recovery"
Jonathan Calvert, PhD | Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery - University of California, Davis
"The Unfinished Public Health Story of Brain Injury"
Jill Daugherty, PhD | Director, Innovation Center - National Association of State Head Injury Administrators (NASHIA)
"Watching the Brain Heal: Time-Lapse Pathodynamics and the Promise of Psychedelic Medicine"
Jonathan Lifshitz, PhD | Associate Director of Education & Engagement - University of Michigan, Concussion Center
Trainee Talks
"Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury to the Prefrontal Cortex Remodels Corticostriatal Circuits: A Role for Microglia and Neuroinflammation in Impulsivity"
Erskine Chu, PhD | Postdoctoral Researcher, Neuroscience
PI: Cole Vonder Haar, PhD
"Orthographic Cueing in Aphasia Therapy: For Whom and Why?"
Natalie Freitag | Graduate Student, Speech & Hearing Sciences
PI: Stacy Harnish, PhD, CCC-SLP
"Linear and Non-Linear Associations Between Cardiorespiratory Fitness and fMRI Activation in Episodic Memory Across the Adult Lifespan"
Inola Howe | Graduate Student, Psychology
PI: Scott Hayes, PhD
"Polarity and Dose-Dependent Effects of Spinal Direct Current Stimulation on Diaphragm Activity After Cervical Spinal Cord Injury in Rats"
Matthew Rease | Research Assistant, Neuroscience
PI: Sabhya Rana, PhD
"Microglia Contribute to Early Life Stress and Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury-Related Behavioral Effects in Male and Female Rats"
Marissa Smail, PhD | Postdoctoral Researcher, Psychology
PI: Kathryn Lenz, PhD
"WFS1 Deficiency Exacerbates Tauopathy-Relevant Pathology in Novel Humanized H1.MAPT model"
Jia Kang Xie | Undergraduate Student, Neuroscience
PI: Hongjun (Harry) Fu, PhD
Poster Award Winners
Postdocs & Staff
Discovery: Marie-Amandine Bonte | Fu Lab | Ectodermal-neural cortex 1 and tau clearance in Alzheimer’s disease
Recovery: Alexa Plotkin | Quatman-Yates Lab | Breaking Barriers: Pilot Testing an SBIR-Supported Online Physical Activity Platform for Brain Injury Survivors
Systems: Sarah Henn | S. Hayes Lab | Relative Importance of Fitness Domains on Visual Episodic Memory Performance
Graduate Students
Discovery: Tae Yeon Kim | Fu Lab | Excitatory Neuronal PLCG2 Regulates Tau Pathology, Gliosis, and Cell Death via Alteration of the Autophagy-Lysosomal Pathway
Assessment: M. Shifatul Islam | Kiourti Lab | Overcoming Limitations of Microwave Tomography Imaging for Stroke Detection and Monitoring
Recovery: Natalie Freitag | Harnish Lab | Orthographic Cueing in Aphasia Therapy: For Whom and Why?
Systems: Inola Howe | S. Hayes Lab | Linear and non-linear associations between cardiorespiratory fitness and fMRI activation in episodic memory across the adult lifespan
Undergraduate Students
Discovery: Sohan Jayasekera | Gao Lab | TLR4 Signaling Links Peripheral Infection to TREM2 Shedding and Microglial Dysfunction in Alzheimer’s Disease
Assessment: Kailash Sastry | Rana Lab | An Automated Deep Learning Framework for Objective Segmentation and Quantification of Diaphragm EMG Across Physiological States
Recovery: Dhruva Vanakeri | Rana Lab | Non-invasive spinal stimulation improves diaphragm activation during challenged breathing in intact and spinally injured rats
Systems: Jia Kang Xie | Fu Lab | WFS1 deficiency exacerbates tauopathy-relevant pathology in novel humanized H1.MAPT model
Coming Soon!
Coming Soon!